Lockable latch and catch construction



March 13, 1951 w. v. KINGDON 2,545,038

LOCKABLE LATCH AND CATCH CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan 29, 1949 PIEi. 1

m /4 14 r l 3 PIIT1. 5 1 M .n o a) LL m mmnm INVENTOR. /4//A A mm Knvwam C Patented Mar. 13,1951

r OFFICE-C LOCKABLE LATCH AND CATCH CONSTRUCTION W l iam V. Kingdon, Indianapolis, Ind. Application January 29, 1949, Serial No. 73,624 I This invention relates to. a. lockable latch an catch construction designed for use particularly with gates. used in stockyards, and where live. stock; are quartered in pens or fenced areas.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a gate latch construction. of such a. char acter thatit may be looked secure y in latching re: lation. so as. to prevent any unauthorized opening of the gate. .f

It. is a. further object of this invention. to provide a latch construction which will automat ically operate with a. maxi-mum of. eificiency to latch a gate when. it is. closed.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a latch" construction having a member serving as a latch bar stop, thereby eliminating the use of the. vertical member customarily-securedto a fence post to stop the gate and prevent its swinging beyond the post. it is a well known fact that the conventional latching meansfused in stockyards to secure gates in a closed position are, generally speaking, makeshift-devices which require continual replacement. In addition, it is necessary for conventional latching constructions to be latched manually at a time when it is imperative that full attention be given to the head of cattle or other live stock being driven through the gate.v The present invention accomplishes the latching automatically, isdurable and, consequently, saves on the time and expense usually connected with their repair.

It has also been found necessary in connection with. the use of the conventional type lately, to employ a service man to repair the fence posts which serve as latch bar stop members. In the present invention, on the other hand, the. use of the fence post as a stop member is eliminated, provision being made for a stop as a part of the construction of this invention.

It is desirable at times, particularly at the end of a day, to securely fasten the gate in a closed position to prevent unauthorized entrance into the alleys or pens which comprise the layout of a stockyard. The present invention employs a member as aforesaid, which is so ar-.- ranged in association with the catch element that a padlock or other locking means can be used to secure the catch in locked relation.

The principal feature of the present invention resides in a member formed adjacent the latch and catch means, which serves as a stop member for the latch bar and as an anchoring member to which the catch can be looked through the use of a padlock or the like.

The full nature of the invention will be under- 1 olaini. (01. 292-299 stood from the following drawings. and the companying description and claim:

Fig. 1 is an elevation view of a gate representative of the type used in Stockyards showing the invention associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the. invention, Fig. 3 is a front elevation view thereof sh win the latch in locked relation... I

Fig. 4 is a front elevationv view showing the In the drawings there. is shown a gate 10 reoresentative of the type generally used in stock-.- yardsr This gate may be hinged to the fence H y. ny suitable means s ch as the bayonet and slot means shown at H. Adjustably secured, to the free end of the gate. adjacent its upper end and extending outwardly therefrom i5. thev latch bar l3, it having horizontally disposed lo s. 14 formed therein to permit its longitudinal adjust.- ment. Bolts 15 or other suitable meansextend ing through the slots may be empl yed to ecure the latch bar in position. Afiixed to the fence post l6 adjacent the free .end of the gate. the lockable catch construction. This comprises two studs I! having bases 18 which are aflixed. to the 7 post I6 on the face thereof exposed to and confronting the free end of the gate, by the lag et? 2 I. This bracket comprises side and end walls joined together in such a way as to define the chamber or slot 22. The br cket is apertured as. at 23 in order to receive therethrough the lag screws which, as aforesaid, extend through the studs and into the post It.

Depending from one end of the bracket 2| is the substantially L-shaped member 24 which is the combined latch bar and padlock supporting element. This member is preferably formed integral with the bracket and the inner face of its vertically depending portion forming the base of I the L serves as the latch bar stop. The arm of the the gravity tumbler or ring 2! which is the catch means. This shank is necessarily disposed in an oil-center position relative to the vertical center of the chamber or slot 22. The ring 21 carried thereby is of a size such that when it is in its normal position as shown in Fig. 3, there will be a suflicient distance between its periphery and the stop to accommodate and receive therebetween the latch bar l3.

As the'gate is swungto the closed position, the latch bar extending outwardly therefrom will strike the outer portion of the ring and elevate it" (see Fig. 4) in order to permit the latch bar to A pass thereunder into abutting engagement with the base portion of the L-shaped member 24. When the latch bar has passed the vertical center of the ring 21, the ring or tumbler will drop downwardly to its normal position as shown in Fig. 3. In this position the latch bar !3 will be firmly enveloped and embraced in latched relation within the space separating the inner'face of the stop and the periphery of the ring. 27. By reason of the fact that the ring is disposed in an off-center position adjacent one end of the chamber or notch 22, the latch bar will not be capable of kicking back from its latched position. This is true for the reason that the tumbler or ring 21 as so hung, is capable of swinging inwardly as aforesaid, but is not capable of swingi-ng outwardly, it being stopped by the inner surface of one end of bracket 2|. The only way in which the latch bar can be moved outwardly to an unlatched position is by manually elevating the ring a sufiicient distance to clear the path of the latch bar.

At times it will be desirable to lock the latch construction firmly in place rather than merely to latch it. The invention is so constructed that this may be accomplished with ease and effectiveness. A recess 25 is formed in the under surface of the downwardly inclined portion of the L-shaped member 24, it being adapted to accommodate and receive therewithin the padlock body 28. The bow 28 of the padlock is extended over the L-shaped member and through the catch or ring 21 and is then secured in locked relation to the body 28. The shoulder portion 29 adjacent the recess prevents the padlock from slipping out of the recess 25 and off of the member 24. It is, of course, necessary that the padlock selected for use have a bow of a length such that when it is in locked relation the padlock will not be capable of slipping over the shoulder.

The drawings illustrate a right action gate. It is to be understood that a left action gate can readily be used if desired, merely by reversing the rectangularly shaped bracket 2! and by form- Y yond the free end thereof and being disposed in toa fence post adjacent the free end of said gate when in closed position, said construction comprising a housing having side and end walls defining a longitudinal slot, said housing being secured in spaced relation to said fence post by at 'least'one transversely disposed securing element,

said one element bridging said slot in off center position relative to the vertical centerof' said slot, a gravity ring loosely carried by said-element and having a portion thereof projecting below said housing, said ring being disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said bar and laterally displaceable thereby as the gate is closed, and a substantially L-shaped mem ber connected to the end wall of said housing which extends in the closing direction of the gate, the base portion of said member depending from said end wall at substantially a right angle to said housing and being spaced reaiwalfd y from said ring a. distance "sufiicient, to .enable said bar to be interposed therebetweenin gate latched position, the] arm portion of said member,;.be-j

ing inclined .forwardl'yaiiddownwardly from the,

bottom of said base portion and-being disposed below the normal path of movement of said bar, said arm portion having a downwardly exposed recess formed adjacent its free end in substam,

tial vertical alignment with said ring, said v recess being adapted to accommodatea portion of. the body of a padlockused for locking said ring to said arm portion;- 1

' WILLIAMV. .KIINGrDON. .1;

I REFERENCES CITED v The following references are of record in the file of this patent; a I UNITED- STATES-PATENTS Number m Date; 849,680 Harner Apr'. 9,* 1907 1,008,220 Tullis' r Nov; 7,111.91;

1,090,960, .Browning Mar.j 24, 1914 

